by Ruby Vincent
Sofia, Paisley, Eric, even Claire nodded.
“I didn’t believe it at first either,” Claire admitted, “but you saw Jaxson with Professor Markham this morning. Does she seem like the kind of woman who would put up with that if she didn’t have to? Not even professors can go against the Knights.”
I looked up at the dais as her words sunk in. This guy held a title so important?
“But he talks like he stepped out of a music video and can’t seem to remember anyone’s name,” I protested. “Who in the world thought it was a good idea to make him a whatever.”
“I don’t know but I’d love to talk to them,” said Eric. “No one knows who chooses or how they make their choice, but either way, I’m a legacy. The last four Knights graduated and I should have been picked to take a spot.”
“But why would you want that?” I asked.
His brows drew together. “Why would I want that? Why would I want to freely roam the school? Why would I want to be above the rules? Why would I want to have so much power that even seniors have to listen to me? Why would I want to follow in my dad’s footsteps?”
I threw up my hands. “Okay, I get it. Stupid question.”
“As for your other question,” said Sofia. “Jaxson did grow up in a studio surrounded by the best names in music. That probably has something to do with him talking like a music video.”
“He did?”
Paisley bobbed her head. “Val, haven’t you heard of Levi Van Zandt? The—”
My hand shot out and gripped Sofia’s forearm. “The most famous music producer since Jerry Wexler?!”
“Ouch!” Sofia cried.
I ignored her. “But he’s produced almost every single one of my favorite artists and he—”
“—is Jaxson’s father,” Paisley finished.
I sunk into my seat. I had spoken to music royalty today... and he was an ass.
“So that’s it,” I croaked. “That’s why they’re picked. The Knights are people with money, influence, and a music collection I would kill for.”
Claire shook her head. “Not all of the Knights have had money. The current ones do, but I’ve been researching them ever since I’ve got here and women and even students on scholarship have been chosen. There’s no pattern. Four freshmen just open their lockers one day and find the card.”
“The card?”
She nodded. “It’s about the size of a playing card and just like one, it has the picture of a knight. One day it just appears and no one’s ever seen who puts them there.”
“So they get this magic card and... that’s it? Everyone just has to do what they say? Even upperclassmen? What if they tell you to streak across campus? Or smuggle drugs in your crack?” Somehow I was buying into this nonsense and I had a lot of questions.
Sofia cracked a smile. “The point of them is to uphold the standards of the school. They wouldn’t tell you to do something illegal and no one would expect you to go along with it if they did. But they do get a lot of perks. You remember that clubroom we passed on the tour that I told you not to go into? That room is theirs. It’s what they get for being all important.”
Eric nodded. “The Knights are important. Evergreen is probably the most competitive place in the world and it’s loaded with geniuses, rich kids, and future masters of the world. Having a beef with someone here has bigger repercussions than in a regular high school. The Knights make sure it never gets out of hand.”
“I get that, but still,” I said. “This isn’t the 1800s and they’re a bunch of freshmen. If people didn’t listen to them, what could they do about it?”
The table fell silent. I looked between their faces. “What? Why does anyone listen to them?”
Paisley lifted her head, looking me in the eyes. “Because if they don’t... they get marked.”
“They get what?”
“Paisley!” She snapped her mouth shut at Sofia’s shout. “Stop it. That hasn’t happened in years and it’s not going to happen again because”—Sofia took my chin and made me look at her—“no one is going to go against the Knights or get on their radar. Right?”
I nodded in her hold. “Don’t have to worry about me. I’m here to make the most of this opportunity, study my ass off, and get into a great college. Messing with people like Jaxson isn’t on my list.”
“Cool, then we’re good.” Sofia took up her chopsticks and went back to her lunch. But I had one more question.
“Who are the other Knights?”
Eric pointed over my shoulder. “You can see for yourself. The rest of the chosen just walked in.” I twisted around to look. “Their names are Ezra Lennox, Maverick Beaumont, and—”
My chair crashed to the ground with a deafening sound. Every eye in the room latched on to me as I lurched to my feet.
It can’t be. It can’t be!
Our gaze connected and Sofia’s worried cries faded under the roaring in my ears. His silver eyes swept over my face, lighting with recognition. It made sense that those orbs were silver because it was metal as cold and unfeeling as him. I prayed that I would never have to see those eyes again outside of the nightmares they haunted. I hoped that I would never again meet—
“Ryder Shea.”
Chapter Four
My tormentor. My bully. My worst enemy.
He stared back at me... then his eyes slid away and he kept walking without breaking his stride.
Sofia righted my chair and yanked me back down. “What was that about? Do you know him?”
I tried to speak, but the lump in my throat near strangled me. “H-he—”
Paisley leaned in and winked. “Let me guess. You are swooning over their collective hotness. I don’t blame you.”
Shaking, I peeked at the dais. Ryder was handsome but it had never been his looks that were the problem. I watched him take a seat and then looked away. My stomach was heaving; I couldn’t stand the sight of him.
Instead, I moved over to the other Knights.
“The giant is Maverick.”
I didn’t have to guess who the giant was. He towered over the other boys, and while they all appeared in shape, he was ripped. Maverick bent over to drop his backpack at the feet of his chair and his polo rode up high enough to reveal his abs. I think a few people truly did swoon.
“Maverick is the son of Marcus Beaumont and namesake of Maverick Technologies. You can thank his daddy for the security system. He’s also captain of the Kings. The boy dominates in football and soccer.”
I didn’t reply. There wasn’t a hint of emotion on Maverick’s angular face, or a hint of hair on his head, but it made him look mysterious instead of frightening.
“That’s Ezra Lennox.” Paisley moved on. “His mother is media maven, Amelia Lennox. She started as a reporter, cracked some of the biggest stories in the industry, and now owns three news stations and a restaurant.”
Ezra.
Such a unique name for the most conventional-looking person I had ever seen. Unlike the other boys, Ezra was in full uniform and not so much as a thread was out of place. His leather shoes gleamed in the artificial lights, and even from this far, I could see he had a manicure. Strait-laced as he appeared, it didn’t dampen those dark, tempting eyes or the confidence in his gait as he moved. Like the rest of the boys, he had a buzzcut.
“And last, but not least, is Ryder—who you seem to know.”
“Yeah,” I croaked. The words were ripped from my throat. “I know all about Ryder Shea.”
I tried to fight it, but the memory sucked me back in.
“What?” he jeered. “What kind of idiot doesn’t know how to swim?”
Water ran down his face and followed the cruel lines of his mouth. His smile was nasty as we stood at the rim of the pool. The water lapped at the sides, beckoning me in, but I couldn’t take the plunge.
I balled my fists. “Why are you such a jerk now, Ryder? I don’t have to get in if I don’t want to.”
“You think so?”
Tha
t was all the warning I got before he grabbed me and threw me in. I screamed as I plummeted into the pool and water filled my open mouth.
I choked. Coughing, sputtering, panicking as I sank.
“Help! Help!”
Laughter met my cries, filling my ears until my head sank below the water again.
I kicked out desperately. My arms windmilled as I fought my way to the surface.
He stood at the edge of the pool, stiff and immovable.
“Ryder, please,” I screamed. “I c-can’t swim!”
My eyes sought his, the pure unadulterated fear shining through... and complete coldness reflecting back.
I stopped screaming, stopped pleading... and the water claimed me again.
My world grew hazy—bending and twisting in the refracted sunlight. Those cold eyes would be the last thing I ever—
A hand broke through the surface and tangled in my hair. I cried out as Ryder hauled me back up and deposited me on the sandstone.
Pool water surged from my throat. I vomited and hacked onto the ground, tears running down my face, while Ryder walked off without a backward glance.
The memory shook me loose and I came to with a stinging pain in my palms. I had dug my nails in deep enough to draw blood.
I couldn’t believe he was here... but then, I should have known he would be. Of course, he would be.
“Valentina?”
I snapped back to reality. “Hmm, what?”
Sofia was giving me a funny look. “I said, how do you know Ryder?”
My gaze went back toward the dais but Ryder wasn’t looking my way. He took a seat in the middle of the table and, as if waiting for a cue, four girls appeared out of nowhere and placed lunch trays in front of the boys.
“My mom... used to work for his dad,” I said simply.
“Your mom worked for Shea Industries?” Paisley responded, sounding way more impressed than she should.
“She was his secretary. Sometimes she brought me along when they worked out of his house or she couldn’t find a sitter.”
She hummed. “It’s a shame what happened to him though. Ryder’s dad. They say Benjamin Shea just disappeared without a trace. The news was going crazy last year, saying he might have been kidnapped and held for ransom.”
“Only problem with that was there was no ransom,” Claire put in. “And after fourteen months, it doesn’t look like there will be.”
“I keep saying the guy ran off,” Eric added. “My dad’s one of the shareholders of Shea Industries and there were whisperings that Benjamin might be replaced as C.E.O. With all the scandals, he was losing the company projects and respect.”
“So, what?” Sofia said. “He doesn’t want the embarrassment of being kicked out of his own company so he disappears and leaves his wife and child behind?”
I let their words fade in the background as I kept my sight fixed on Ryder. He was in the middle of listening to Jaxson. Something interesting by the way Jaxson’s hands were waving. Suddenly, the table erupted into guffaws, Ryder included, and my lips curled.
“Oh, look. It laughs.”
“Whoa, okay,” Sofia said, picking up on my comment. “You obviously don’t like him.”
“What’s to like?” I looked at his head. “Although, when I knew him, he had hair.”
“At the start of the year, they all had hair,” said Eric. “They shaved it when they accepted their position as a Knight. It lets the whole school, and whoever chose them, know that they’re in charge now.”
Anger blossomed in the pit of my stomach, mixing with all the other negative emotions. “Who in their right mind would make him a Knight?”
“Don’t know, but with whatever bad history you two have, it’s more reason for you to stay clear of Ryder and his boys.”
“That won’t be a problem for me. I don’t know if I can say the same for him.”
In a blink, Ryder’s head snapped up and he finally met my gaze. As if he was listening. As if he knew every word that had passed through my mind and out of my lips...
He smirked.
I SAID GOODBYE TO MY new friends and bolted from the cafeteria. I needed to put as much distance between me and Ryder Shea as possible.
It shouldn’t have surprised me that he was here. Honestly, I should have thought of this. The Sheas were richer than sin. Shea Industries built half of the skyscrapers that made up the New York skyline. His money, coupled with the fact that beneath that evil mind was a brilliant one, meant that Ryder was a shoo-in for Evergreen.
My eyes stung with unshed tears as I dove for my locker. I threw it open and shoved my head inside. I was so stupid to think I could have a second chance. A fresh start.
No, stop it. Don’t give up. Don’t let him take this from you too.
That thought stopped me cold. I took a breath, holding it until my lungs screamed for air, then I slowly let it out.
Too much had happened. Too much had been taken from me. I would not let this chance go.
Ryder and his gang could do whatever they wanted; it has nothing to do with me. There’s no reason I would need to have a thing to do with Ryder, Jaxson, Maverick, or Ezra.
My heartbeat returned to normal. Everything would be okay.
I pulled my head out of the locker and slammed it shut.
Then my eyes locked with Ryder’s.
“Ahh!” I screamed. I lurched back, clutching my chest. “What the hell?!”
“Valentina Moon.” Ryder leaned back onto my locker, folding his arms. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Getting my backpack for art class,” I snapped. “What are you doing here?”
“I can’t believe it’s really you.” His eyes raked my body and I couldn’t help pulling my blazer tighter. Ryder’s smile widened at the gesture.
It was wrong. It was so wrong how beautiful he was. Neither the cruel curve of his lips or the stubby black hairs where thick raven locks used to be could change that. He was beautiful. Exquisitely perfect like that of a Greek statue—gorgeous, cold, unfeeling... lifeless.
Ryder cocked his head, resting it against my locker. “So how did you do it? You’re too stupid to have won a scholarship, so that’s out.”
I bristled.
“But you’re also too poor to afford the tuition. So how did you get in?”
“I applied. I got accepted.” I gave him a shit-eating grin. “That easy enough for you to follow?”
He clicked his tongue. “Come on. This is me you’re talking to. We both know it was more than that. There was a bet going around that you sucked the headmaster’s dick for a spot, but that’s not your style.” He shook his head. “No, I put my money on your whore of a mother doing it for you.”
My hands balled into fists. “Watch it!”
“You know.” He went on like I hadn’t spoken. Outside of our little world, we were drawing an audience. “I heard that Olivia Dearest had gone and got herself knocked up again. Does she know who the father of this kid is?”
A red mist descended on my vision and I launched forward. There was no time to think or I may have stopped myself. I placed my hands on his chest and shoved. “Don’t you ever talk about Adam! Ever!”
Ryder stumbled back laughing as gasps went up in the crowd forming around us.
I folded my arms to stop myself from hitting him again. “Besides, aren’t you the one who doesn’t know where their daddy is?”
A flicker of emotion flashed across his face. It was gone as quickly as it came, but there was no denying that I had struck a nerve. I smirked. “How long has it been now? Fourteen months since the great Benjamin Shea disappeared without a word? But that’s not before the months he spent in the news cycle, caught with woman after woman, many of them whose services he paid for.” I could hear the harsh words dripping from my lips but I couldn’t seem to stop them. They were being fed by another part of me—one I thought I had locked away. “And you call my mom a whore.”
Ryder’s face didn’t change as I
spoke. “Good one. Going for the most likely dead, cheating dad.” The matter-of-fact way he said that made me shiver. He was so blank. Empty. “Looks like you caught a backbone in the projects. It was bound to happen sometime. But you’re going to want to be careful, Val. Haven’t you heard? I run things in this school.”
“The only thing you run is that trash mouth.”
“It’s true. This mouth is trashy.” Ryder closed the distance between us. He leaned in close, putting his lips to my ear. “It has been ever since I put it on yours.”
My body shook with rage and embarrassment. Tears prickled behind my eyes but I wouldn’t let them fall in front of him. “Just stay away from me,” I forced out. “You and your little Knights.”
“Maybe I’ll do that”—he pulled back and smiled into my face—“or maybe I won’t.”
He walked backward, tossing me a wink as the crowd parted for him. “See you around, Val.”
I stood rooted to the spot. It took the final bell sounding for me to snap out of it. Picking up the pace, I grabbed my bag out of my locker and hurried to the second wing. Evergreen hated tardiness almost as much as cheating, and I wouldn’t be late because of him.
I clung to my positivity as my shoes squeaked across the floors. That show was just to rattle me. Ryder hates me. He doesn’t want to breathe the same air as me and he’s made no secret of it. He’ll keep his distance and I’ll focus on my life.
I felt slightly better by the time I pushed through into Art Studio I and came to a stop just past the doorway. It was incredible in here.
Students were scattered about the room donning smocks, mixing paint, and setting up easels. Above their head, artwork of many styles and colors covered the walls. Every part of Evergreen had charm, but this was the first room I had stepped into with personality.
“Made it by the skin of your teeth.” Her amused voice brought my attention to the front of the room. A woman in paint-splattered overalls stepped away from the desk and stuck out a hand. “You must be my new student, Valentina.”
The woman smiled and it lit up her whole face. The dusting of freckles on her cheeks stood out clearer. Her green eyes sparkled brighter. I don’t think I had ever met anyone whose smile packed such a punch except for Ryder—but it was for a different reason in his case.